Tufted stoloniferous perennial. Leaf-blades usually folded; ligule a short membrane with a long ciliate fringe. Inflorescence composed of (2-)3-5 short secund digitate racemes, these deciduous at maturity. Spikelets several-flowered, ovate-elliptic, strongly laterally compressed, disarticulating above the glumes but not between the florets; glumes shorter than the adjacent lemmas, the upper with a thickened 3-nerved keel; lemmas 3-nerved, keeled, elliptic-lanceolate, entire, acute or with a short awn-point. Grain enclosed within a free hyaline pericarp.

A monotypic genus from Northwest India through Arabia to Northeast Africa.

Lower Taxon

• Ochthochloa compressa (Forssk.) Hilu

Related Synonym(s):

• Eleusine arabica Hochst. ex Steud. = Ochthochloa compressa (Forssk.) Hilu
• Eleusine caespitosa A. Rich. = Ochthochloa compressa (Forssk.) Hilu
• Eleusine compressa (Forssk.) Asch. & Schweinf. ex C. Christ. = Ochthochloa compressa (Forssk.) Hilu
• Eleusine flagellifera Nees = Ochthochloa compressa (Forssk.) Hilu
• Ochthochloa dactyloides Edgew. = Ochthochloa compressa (Forssk.) Hilu
• Panicum compressum Forssk. = Ochthochloa compressa (Forssk.) Hilu